Not Much of a Father
by Paine3
Summary: Paine never knew who her father was, and believed that they had never met. But they had, and a certain black mage was one of the few witnesses, and the only person who knows who Paine's father really was. In game Oneshot


This is just a something I thought up when I was bored one day, I think it was during class I can't remember. Oh well. It's about my favorite rumor about the game, whether Paine is Auron's daughteryou know.Don't ask why I chose Lu to play an important part in this, I just thought it worked, plus she is my favorite character besides Paine.

Disclaimer: What do you think?

* * *

"Are you ok?" Lulu opened her eyes and looked up to see Sir Auron extending a hand to her to help her up from the ground.

"Yes I'm fine." She said getting up and brushing herself off. Looking around she was surprised to see she had run so far. She was on the edge of a small short cliff near the ravine in Mushroom Rock. "Where is Wakka, is he alright? What about Yuna? Or Tidus and Kimari?"

"I do not know. I am going to find them now, so wait here." Auron turned and began to walk towards where the main operation was taking place, where Sin was.

"Please be-" Lulu was interrupted by the sound of guns firing, coming from the ravine. Auron had heard it too and turned to see the black mage hoping carefully down and hurrying over to it. He followed also curious to see who had been firing, and who they had been firing at.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" A stern looking monk roared slapping a young teenage girl, across the face. "Well answer me!" The girl simply glared at the monk and the guards around him. She had fierce blood-red eyes and was dressed in black leather, with silvery-brown hair. _Something about that girl…She reminds me of someone. _Lulu thought. _But who? _"Fine. Kill her. For treason against Yevon."

Lulu watched in horror as the guards raised their machina rifles and aimed them at the stoic teen, who showed absolutely no sign of fear or surprise. Without thinking, something that rarely ever happened, Lulu cast a well aimed fire spell igniting the ground between the girl and the monk. They both stepped quickly away from the flames, just before the girl ran towards the end of the ravine. "Stop her!" The monk ordered and the guards took off after her. But the fire spread blocking them.

"Come on, before they see you!" Auron pulled Lulu away from the scene, seeming suddenly and uncharacteristically distressed.

* * *

(2 years later) (A/N: I know I got the dialogue wrong in this scene…so forgive me for that.)

Lulu was simply sitting in her hut, relaxing, when Wakka called saying Yuna had arrived. It had been a while since she had left, without a word to anyone at all, and Lulu was rather surprised when she walked in. "Yuna. It's been a while. Good to see you."

"How are you doing Lulu?" Yuna asked in her soft calm voice.

"Oh I'm doing fine." Lulu watched as Rikku bounced into the hut followed by a serious looking young woman dressed in black from head to toe. The girls eyes widened slightly when she saw the older woman sitting down, but Yuna and Rikku didn't seem to notice. Lulu didn't notice either but she too was surprised to see the girl she had seen before at Operation Mi'hen, the girls whose life she had saved. Paine. Someone Lulu had been hoping to see, for the mage knew something about Paine that even she didn't know. A secret she had promised an old friend she'd tell if they ever met again.

"So the baby will be born soon right!" Rikku asked hoping up and down ecstatic.

"No not quite. Wakka is getting a little ahead of himself."

"Ah man!"

"Say would you like to go for a walk?" Lulu proposed to the three.

"Can you?" Yuna sounded concerned, for the baby of course.

"I need the exercise."

* * *

Lulu had asked, after their walk, if Yuna and her friends would like to stay the night and they graciously agreed. They had sat around the fire and talked when Paine said she was going to the beach. Rikku called her a party pooper but she ignored the young Al Bhed. Everyone had gone to bed before Paine's return, everyone except Lulu. Searching her hut thoroughly she finally found what she needed, and then went out to find Paine. 

Lulu foundher sitting, hugging her knees, on the beach and staring at the ocean. When she stepped nearer Paine turned her head slightly in her direction, knowing she was there. "Paine." Lulu said quietly. The warrior had recognized Lulu the moment she had entered that hut. She didn't know until today who she was really, only that Paine was in her debt, and how she hated being in debt to someone else. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" Paine only nodded slightly and turned back to the ocean.

Sitting down Lulu faced towards Paine who still refused to look her in the eye. "I know we've never met before but there is-"

"I know who you are." Paine interrupted, sounding cold. "You saved my life, I saw you. I guess maybe… I owe you or something like that." Lulu smiled her small but warm smile and Paine finally turned her head to the side so they were face to face, only about a foot away from each other.

"What are you doing here?"

"Paine I have something I need to give you." Lulu told her quietly.

"What?"

"Just a movie sphere that's all, of some things you need to see I think. I promised someone I'd give it to you if I ever saw you again." Paine was not one to usually press the matter but she decided just this once she would.

"Promised who?" Lulu looked surprisingly hesitant to answer this question.

"Your father…gave it to me." She said finally.

"My father…" Paine seemed to consider this for a moment. "Keep it I don't want it." She told her after a few moments, turning back to the water again. "If my _father_, whoever the hell that is, wants to give me something tell him to give it to me himself."

"Paine your father died years ago." Paine didn't reply and kept her face as blank as ever. "I can understand why you are upset Paine but if you just watched this-"

"You understand do you? I know nothing about my father except that he left my mother before she even had me. Sin killed my mother so soon after people said it was almost like it was planned. No one knew who **he** was, where he was…nothing at all. At least that's what they told me."

"Why are you telling me these things, you hardly know me Paine."

"I guess…because I owe you something."

"Well then watch this sphere. After that you can consider your debt repaid." Paine glared at Lulu.

"Fine. I'll watch it." Lulu showed Paine the glowing orange sphere, which illuminated Paine's pale face, and turned it on.

_Auron walked into one of the rooms in Djose temple to find Lulu and Wakka sitting next to each other on a bed, Wakka was rubbing Lulu's back with one hand and she was talking quietly. They both looked up as Auron entered. "Wakka may I have a word with Lulu."_

"_Oh um…sure ya." Wakka got up and giving Lulu a curious look walked past Auron and out the door. _

"_Yes Sir Auron?"_

"_Why did you save that girl?" He asked.  
_

Paine stared at the Auron's face. That man couldn't possibly be the one Lulu was calling her father.

"_You saw her. Well I don't know…but why do you ask."_

"_They called her a traitor, yet you still saved her life."_

"_I did. I wasn't thinking…I shouldn't have meddled I know I'm not usually one to do those things. I'm so-"_

"_No I should be thanking you." Auron interrupted. _

"_But why? Do you know that girl?"_

"_Yes I do." _

Paine looked at Lulu to find her looking at her. They both turned their attention back to the sphere.

"_From where though?"_

"_She is my daughter." _

"_Daughter?"  
_

"_Yes she is. Though I am not much of a father…you see I have never met her. I was only 18 or 19 and with Sin everyone seemed to be rushing into things, but I left Paine's mother afterwards without knowing, even though I loved her. She died after giving birth, Sin killed her. When I heard she was dead I heard also that she had a child, my child, and that she named her Paine."_

"_And you never went to find her?"_

"_No. She was given to foster parents that much I know. Paine and her mother, look so much alike. That is how I recognized her in the ravine."_

"_Didn't you ever want to see her?"_

"_Yes I did. But I did what I thought was best, by staying away from her."_

"_Why not go see her now. It looked like she was headed to the Mi'hen Highroad that's not far maybe she's at the Travel Agency?"_

"_If she was a 'traitor' they'd go after her, she wouldn't stop somewhere."_

"_Well isn't it worth a try?"_

"_I am Yuna's guardian I cannot leave."_

"_But she is your daughter! Paine! Not Yuna!" _

Paine reached over and shut the sphere off having seen enough. "See…he didn't care about me."

"He did. There is more to it."

"Well I don't need to see it."

"We both went after you Paine." Lulu told her. "I convinced him to go if I went with him. Yuna had to stay and heal the wounded so we had time."

"I don't remember seeing…" She stopped. "You. You saw it, me…you saw me…you were there!"

"Yes Paine, we both were. It would be easier for me to show you rather than just telling you."

"But how did you get there?"

"We had no choice but to take a hover, luckily Wakka didn't find out till much later or he would have not been very happy. But just let me show you ok."

"_What in Yevon's name happened here!" Lulu exclaimed getting off the hover and looking around. Near the front doors of the Travel Agency were two patches of blood soaked grass. Auron hurried to the door of the Travel Agency and opened it to see two stretchers bearing two teenage boys being carried into the hallway that led to the rooms by Al Bhed. _

"_What happened?" He demanded of the clerk at the desk._

"_We just heard shots…three to be exact." She said._

"_Three. There were only two bodies where is the third one?"_

"_We didn't see anyone else, these boys were bleeding badly so we had to hurry and get them inside for healing."_

"_So you didn't even search for the-" Auron was interrupted by Lulu yelling._

"_Sir Auron get out here quick! It's…it's Paine!"_

Paine looked away. She couldn't look as the sphere showed Auron and the clerk running outside to where Lulu stood.

_Lying in the tall grass, concealed from view to anyone not looking closely enough for her, was Paine. She had her hand over a bullet sized hole in her stomach a disguarded sphere camera at her side. "She's awake, but only just." Lulu told Auron who looked horrorstruck. Lulu had never seen Auron look so scared since he rarely ever showed emotion at all. _

"_Paine can you hear me?" He reached down to touch her face. _

Paine finally looked back at him, looking the projection of her father straight in his eye.

_As he brushed hair out of her face she let out a cry of pain causing him to jerk his hand back. The clerk turned around to face the open Agency door where Al Bhed were walking out. "Kad y cdnadlran uid rana huf!" (Get a stretcher out here now!) She ordered. But Auron picked her up first, ignoring her whimpers. She buried her head in his chest clenching her teeth in a stubborn attempt not to show how much pain she was really in._

_When the group entered a unoccupied room Auron put Paine down on the bed and stepped back allowing the Al Bhed to take care of her. "We should go it's getting late." He told Lulu. _

"_Don't you want to see if she'll be ok?" _

"_N-nooj…w-why…" Paine finally spoke. "Wh-where is B-Baralai…a-and Gippal…w-where are m-my friends…"_

"_Cra'mm pa veha. Cra zicd haatc du nacd huf." (She'll be fine. She just needs to rest now.) An Al Bhed told the clerk.  
_

"_They say if she rests she'll be just fine."_

"_And the other two?"_

"_They are fine as well I'm sure." With that the clerk and the rest of the Al Bhed left the room leaving Lulu and Auron alone with the young girl. _

"_Paine?" Auron stepped up to her bed. "You're going to be alright."_

"_Where a-are my f-friends?" She repeated. _

"_They are in other rooms."_

"_I-I want to s-see them."_

"_Paine you have to rest now."_

"_Please…I need to know if they a-are alright."_

"_They're fine I assure you."_

"_L-let me s-see them." _

"_Paine you have to stay in bed and rest." Auron repeated sounding a bit more forceful. She opened her eyes a little and squinted up at him._

"_W-who are you to boss m-me around…n-not like you're my f-father or a-anything."_

"_No I guess I'm not much of a father…Get some rest Paine." He turned and signaled for Lulu to go out the door ahead of him. "I…Paine I…" Looking over her shoulder she saw her eyes were closed again and turned slightly away from him. _

The screen went blank. Lulu looked up at Paine again who was now standing and facing away from her. "He's dead?"

"Yes. He died 12 years ago."

"12? But…he was unsent in that sphere?"

"He was yes. Perhaps that is why he couldn't touch you without you being in pain, since you were…" She trailed off but decided to change the subject. "Does Yuna or Rikku know?" Paine didn't answer but looked up at the sky again. "Do you not trust them?"

"No…I don't. I don't trust anyone." She admitted.

"You seemed to trust me." Lulu pointed out.

"I owe you something, I was just repaying you."

"Well please try to trust them. Sir Auron would have wanted you three to be friends, and so do I." Lulu stood up and held the sphere out for Paine to take it. Reluctantly she did. "Goodnight Paine." The mage turned and walked back up towards the village.

"It's ok…" Paine muttered quietly squeezing the sphere tightly closing her eyes. "…I guess I'm not much of daughter."

* * *

I hope you like it. I tried my best so if you didn't…well I'm sorry. I just really like the rumor. So goodbye people: ) 


End file.
